Cognitive Approach Flashcards
What are the assumptions of the cognitive approach?
Internal mental processes
Computer analogy
Schemas
What are internal mental processes?
Human use cognitive processes to make sense of the world around them
We use internal mental processes- memory, language, attention, decision making and perception
Processes all work together to understand the world
What is a psychological example for internal mental processes?
To study internal mental processes, psychologist use introspection, participant describes how a task/ stimulus makes them feel
Griffiths = asked p’s to use introspection when playing on a fruit machine, interested in the processes gamblers and non regular gamblers made, asked to think out loud, regular gamblers made more irrational verbalisations than non regular gamblers
What is computer analogy?
Human mind works in similar ways to a computer
Computer receives its input, processes it, through display, storage, and output
Senses work as input, information stored and retrieved when needed
What are schemas?
Organised packs of information
Built through experience
Derived from past experiences, can be refunded through further interactions with people and the world around us
What is the cognitive therapy?
Cognitive behavioural therapy
What are the main components of cognitive behavioural therapy?
Dysfunctional thought diary
Pleasant activity scheduling
Cognitive restructuring
What does CBT contain?
Cognitive and behaviourst techniques
Both client and therapist play a major role
What is the dysfunctional thought diary?
Clients asked to record any unpleasant emotions
They should then record the thought associated with events and rate how much they believe the thoughts
They are then required to write a rational response to the automatic thought and rate their belief in the rational response
Clients should re reste their belief in the automatic response
What is cognitive restructuring?
Client reveals about their thought patterns
They can work together to change the negative thinking pattern
They are asked to challenge their thinking and look for evidence instead of assuming
What is pleasant activity scheduling?
Asking the client to plan each day, one pleasant activity to engage in
Will induce more positive emotions, will detract from negative thinking
Behavioural activation technique- helping clients change their behaviour
What is the effectiveness of CBT
Research support
Therapist competence
Individual differences
Empowerment
What is the research support of CBT
Jarret et al = CBT as effective as some antidepressants, 108 patients with severe depression over 10 week trial
Hollon = no difference in CBT when compared with anti depressant drug, in 107 patients over 10 weeks
What is the therapist competence evaluation of CBT?
Ability to structure sessions, plan and review assignments
Kuyken and Tsivrikos 15% of variance in outcomes of CBT effectiveness may be attributable to therapist competence
What is individual differences evaluation of CBT?
CBT less useful to people who have high levels of irrational believes that are ridged and resistant to change
Less suitable in situations where there are high levels of stress
What is empowerment evaluation of CBT?
Recognises that people have free will
Alternative to drug therapy, where it takes a deterministic view of this is your genetic makeup
What are the ethical issues of CBT
Patient blame
What is rational?
What is the patient blame evaluation of CBT?
Claims the client is responsible for their disorder
External factors such as family issues can be overlooked, blame the individual for feeling this way
What is the what is rational evaluation of CBT?
Who judges what an irrational thought is
Therapist deems what is irrational
Alloy and Abrahamson = depressive realists see things for what they are, sadder but wiser effect
CBT may damage self esteem = psychological harm
What is the classical evidence for cognitive approach?
Loftus and Palmer
Example of the interaction between language and memory
What was the methodology and procedure of Loftus and Palmer
Experiment 1 = 45 students
Experiment 2 = 150 students
Independent measures design
Independent variable = the verb that was used
Dependent variable = estimate speed and whether the participant saw broken glass
What is the procedure of experiment 1 in Loftus and Palmer
7 films of accidents
45 participants asked critical questions “how fast were the cars going when they _____”
hit, collided, bumped or contracted
The speed estimate was recorded
What is the procedure of experiment 2 in Loftus and Palmer
150 participants watched one clip of car crash
50 participants were asked how fast when they smashed
50 participants how fast when they hit
50 participants not asked about speed of the car
1 week later “did you see any broken glass?” No broken glass in the video
What we’re the findings of Loftus and palmer? Experiment 1
Smashed = 40.8mph
Collided = 39.3 mph
Bumped = 38.1 mph
Hit = 34 mph
Contacted = 31.8 mph
What were the findings in experiment 2 of Loftus and Palmer
Broken glass yes
16 smashed
7 hit
6 control
Broken glass no
34 smashed
43 hit
44 control
What were the conclusions of Loftus and Palmer of experiment 1
Response bias factors, there was a change in the subjects memory representation of the accident
What were the conclusions of experiment 2 in Loftus and Palmer
Leading questions alter the participants memory
Not response bias but alters the memory
What is the ethical issues evaluation for Loftus and palmer
Deception
Consent
What is the deception evaluation
Participants were deceived during the study
Participants were asked deliberately leading questions in order to test their memory
What is the consent evaluation
Participants did not give fully informed consent
They were not aware of the aims of the research
What are the social implications evaluation for Loftus and palmer
Benefits for society
What are the benefits of society of Loftus and palmer
Les to new developments in questioning techniques used by the police
Police now more aware of the effect of the questions they ask
Unreliable eyewitness testimony’s are costly economically and to society
Retrials and cimpensation means the government have to spend a lot of money for the unreliable eyewitnesses
If they individuals are wrongfully convicted, it means the real criminal is in society and go on to commit more crimes
What is the methodology and procedures evaluation for Loftus and palmer
Sample issue
Reliable research
Lack of ecological validity
Good control of extraneous variables
What is the sample issue of Loftus and palmer
The sample is only students
Likely to share many characteristics
Eg lack of driving experience
What is the reliable research evaluation of Loftus and palmer
Participants watched the same videos
Asked the same questions
The procedure was very standardised
All participants had a consistent experience
What is the lack of ecological validity evaluation of Loftus and palmer
Particpants watched staged video clips of accidents rather than real accidents
May have changed the participants reaction to the stimuli
What is the good control of extraneous variables evaluation of Loftus and palmer?
The order of the seven clips were changed for participants
Some participants may have watched video 1 first, others may have seen it last
Should prevent the order having an impact on the results
